Legal Definitions - delate

Delate

To delate means to formally accuse someone or to report their alleged wrongdoing, often to an authority or in a judicial or quasi-judicial setting. It implies a formal denunciation rather than a casual complaint.

Here are some examples illustrating the use of delate:

• During a historical inquiry into local governance, a former town clerk chose to delate several council members, providing detailed accounts of their alleged misuse of public funds to the investigative committee.

  This example illustrates delate as the act of formally accusing individuals of wrongdoing to an official body tasked with investigation.

• In a professional organization governed by a strict code of conduct, a member might feel compelled to delate a colleague who has repeatedly violated ethical guidelines, submitting a formal complaint to the disciplinary board.

  Here, delate refers to the formal process of informing against someone within an organizational structure that has the authority to address the reported misconduct.

• Following a series of public health concerns, a concerned citizen decided to delate a local restaurant to the health department, providing specific evidence of unsanitary practices observed over several weeks.

  This demonstrates delate as the act of formally reporting alleged violations to a regulatory authority that can investigate and enforce compliance.